John D'Amico Jr. (born January 24, 1941) is an American

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

politician from

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, who served on the

Monmouth County, New Jersey Monmouth County () is a county located on the coast of central New Jersey. The county is part of the New York metropolitan area and is situated along the northern half of the Jersey Shore. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population w ...

Board of Chosen Freeholders In New Jersey, a Board of County Commissioners (until 2020 named the Board of Chosen Freeholders) is the elected county-wide government board in each of the state's 21 counties. In the five counties that have an elected county executive, the b ...

and served in the

New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232, ...

in 1988 and 1989. Born in Long Branch on January 24, 1941, D'Amico attended

Red Bank Regional High School Red Bank Regional High School (often abbreviated RBR) is a comprehensive regional four-year public high school and school district that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from the boroughs of Little Silver, Red Bank and Shrewsbur ...

. He graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1963 and from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1966. D’Amico served as a Councilman in

Oceanport, New Jersey Oceanport is a borough in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 5,832,Representative Representative may refer to: Politics * Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people * House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities * Legislator, som ...

James J. Howard,

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

Frank Pallone Frank Joseph Pallone Jr. (; born October 30, 1951) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for , serving since 1988. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district, numbered as the 3rd district from 1988 to 1 ...

was elected to fill the vacancy. On December 10, 1988, John D'Amico was elected to Pallone's senate vacancy by the Democratic County Party Committee members in the 11th Legislative District; he was the first of the state's legislators to be chosen by a political caucus and not popularly elected. Eleven months later, he was defeated in the 1989 general election by Republican Assemblyman Joseph A. Palaia. During his tenure in the New Jersey Senate, D'Amico sponsored bills on transportation and the environment, including a Green Acres Bond Act and the Clean Water Enforcement Act. In 1992, he was appointed as a Judge of the

New Jersey Superior Court The Superior Court is the state court in the U.S. state of New Jersey, with statewide trial and appellate jurisdiction. The New Jersey Constitution of 1947 establishes the power of the New Jersey courts.Jeffrey S. Mandel, New Jersey Appellate Pra ...

. During his tenure, he developed a streamlined trial procedure called an "Expedited Jury Trial" that is in use statewide and has been emulated in other states. In 2003, he was appointed Chairman of the

New Jersey State Parole Board The New Jersey State Parole Board is a governmental body in the U.S. State of New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New ...

. As Chairman, he implemented a system of graduated sanctions for technical violations of conditions of parole with a focus on rehabilitation. To enhance re-entry programs, he established re-entry task forces to work with individual volunteers, faith-based entities, and nonprofit agencies to address the issues of housing, employment, addiction, gang activity, family reunification, and transportation. He retired from his position as Chairman in 2007. He was elected to a third three-year term as Freeholder in November 2007. As a freeholder, D'Amico oversaw Planning, Commerce and Education, which includes

Brookdale Community College Brookdale Community College is a public community college in the Lincroft section of Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1967, the college also has regional locations in Neptune Township, ...

, Economic Development & Tourism, Planning Board, Superintendent of Schools and the Vocational Board of Education. He served as Deputy Director of the board in 2009. At the January 7, 2010, annual reorganization, he was succeeded as Deputy Director by

Robert D. Clifton Robert D. Clifton (born December 31, 1968) is an American Republican Party politician who has represented the 12th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly since January 10, 2012. He previously served on the Monmouth County, Ne ...

. D'Amico, after the election and short of his 70th birthday, announced his retirement from politics. He was the recipient of the 2016 ''New Jersey Law Journal'' Lifetime Achievement Award based on his career in public service, including serving as a superior court judge, chairman of the state parole board, a state senator, a Monmouth County Freeholder during three different decades at two different times and as an Oceanport councilman. D'Amico currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of NY/NJ Baykeeper, a non-profit environmental organization. NY/NJ Baykeeper's mission is to protect, preserve, and restore the ecological integrity and productivity of the Hudson-Raritan Estuary. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Monmouth County Parks. His article, "Does the Tea Party Understand the Constitution?", appeared in ''

Salon Magazine ''Salon'' is an American politically progressive/liberal news and opinion website created in 1995. It publishes articles on U.S. politics, culture, and current events. Content and coverage ''Salon'' covers a variety of topics, including rev ...

'' in May 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:D'Amico, John Jr. Living people 1941 births Harvard College alumni Harvard Law School alumni County commissioners in New Jersey New Jersey city council members Democratic Party New Jersey state senators New Jersey lawyers New Jersey state court judges Politicians from Long Branch, New Jersey People from Oceanport, New Jersey Politicians from Monmouth County, New Jersey Red Bank Regional High School alumni 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American legislators 20th-century New Jersey politicians